Apparatus for recovering cargoes from sunken vessels.



:N Patented July 3 |900.

o 652,970 Si LAKE APPARATUS FOR RECUVERING CARGOES FROM SUNKEN VESSELS.

(Application led Mar. 10, 1898A (No Model'.) 2 Sheets--Sheet I.

WITNESSES No. 052,970. Patented my 3, |900.

, s. LAKE.

APPARATUS FUR RECUVERING CARGULS FROM SUNKEN VESSELS. (Application led Mar. 10, 1898.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

@lol

UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

,SIMON LAKE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

APPARATUS FOR RECOVERING CARGORS FROM SUNKEN VESSELS.

SPEOIFICATION forming part .of Letters Patent No. 652,970, dated July 3, 1900..

applicati@ and una 1o, 189s. serial No. 673.357. (No man.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SIMON LAKE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Baltimore city, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inI Apparatus for Recovering Gargoesfroin Sunken Vessels, of-4 which the following is a specication.

This invention has for its object, primarily, to provide Aa means for unloading the cargoes of sunken vessels Wholly beneath the surface of the water where it is possible to avoid the difficulties commonly met in the employment of apparatus of which a portion is carried by a vessel oating upon the surface, where it is necessarily subjected t-o the changing effects of the wea-ther, and consequently the condition of the water at the surface. l

The invention consists, essentially, 'in' a snbmergible car comprising an air-tight tank or receptacle having air and.` water'valves for use in admitting and expelling air and water to and from the saine, means external thereto for operating said valves, and a hatch ory hatches for admitting freight to the interior of the same. This tanker receptacle is preferably pro vided with depending caster-wheels forA supporting the, same movably upon the water-bed when. submerged, in order that it may be shifted freely thereupon, and as so constructed may be readilyv drawn upon the sea-bed to and from the sunken vessel to be operated upon by means of a submarine motor-car such as is described in myprior patent, No. 557,835, issued April 7, 1896. lVhether it be towed upon the surface or upon the water-bed, it will be found necessary in practice at such time to render it buoyant, or nearlyso, in order that its weight upon the supporting-wheels may be light or may be wholly7 removed to enable the tank to rise to the surface.

The invention further includes' apparatus of specific construction and arrangement of parts, whereby it is adapted to not only receive and transport freight from submerged wrecks, but to raise the latter also, all as set forth in the claims attached hereto.

' In the drawings annexed, Figure 1 -is-a side elevation of the apparatus embodying the inetion of the side broken away to expose its interior construction and arrangement of parts. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a section, uponl a largerscale, of one of the bolt-hole guards hereinafter described. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation showing the apparatus attached to the side of a' sunken vessel for the purpose of raising the latter. .Fig. 5 is an elevation showing a series of such tanks fastened to and in the act of raising a sunken vessel from the waterbed.- Fig. 6 is' an elevation, partly in transverse section, of a submarine wrecking-car engaged in tran'sferring the cargo from a submerged wreck to a submerged tank or car constructed in accordance with my invention.

The apparatus consists, essentially, of an air and water tight tank or receptacle a,

having preferably flat sides and pointed or wedge-shaped ends and a rudder a. at one end. This tank is mounted upon supporting caster-wheels; for sustaining the same movably uponthe-.water-bed when submerged. The top is provided with hatches a2 for lthe reception ot' freight into the inte-l rior, which isfdivided into a series of com, partments by gratings or, lattice-work bulkheads a3 for preventing the shifting` of the loa'd when the apparatus is in motion. Cleats a4 are provided for use when the car is being towed upon the surface or the water-bed or for other purposes.

The car is provided at the top with a preferably-cylindrical compressed-air reservoir Z) of such size and displacement as to nearly maintain the buoyancy of the structure even when `the tank is filled with water. By.this means the internal and externalI pressures upon the'walls of the tank maybe maintained approximately eqn al under all conditions, re-

vtaining practically their initial relations at any depth below the surface, as the structure will not sink untilfilled with water, when free communication maybe established between the interior and exterior. As it is desirable to provide a compressed-air supply for effecting the expulsion of the contained water when desired, I prefer the ferm of reservoir shown, which adapts it for the twofold purpose; but.-it is obvious that a compressed- IOC 5 buoyancy of the structure until the remainingspace is filled with water, or the tan'k could be made with double walls with inter- `mediate air-space to provide such ai r-reservon'.

A water-inlet valve c is provided in the bottom of the tank a to admit water to the in- 'terior for overcoming itsinitial buoyancy, the same having a stein c' extended upwardly through the top of the tank 'and provided with a hand-wheel c2 for turning the same. The valve-stem c is threaded where it passes through the internally-threaded bearing c3, whereby the rotation of th'e stem by means of its hand-wheel operates to open or close the valve. having threaded stem d with hand-wheel d, serves to permit the escape of air displaced by water admitted through the valve c. To submerge the car, it is only necessary to open thev valves c and d, when the filling of the tank with water operates to destroy the normal buoyancy and causes the car to sink to Athe water-bed, where it rests upon its supporting caster-wheels s and serves as a submarine car capableof being shifted with ease into the desired relation to the slinken vessel whose cargois to be transferred into the same.

Access to the interior is provided to divers` without by means of the manhole c, with lfastening-bar e', which may be readily removed, the pater-pressures upon both sides being equal during submergence. The transfer of freight may be effected by means' of a derrick D upon the submarine wrecking-car E from the hatches orahole made in the side of the su-nken vessel, as V,Fig. G, and through the hatches of thecar a, where it serves to displace a portion of the contained water.

' After the hatches are again shut down and 45 the car closed up the opening of either of the valves ff in the air-outlet pipes f f, leading from the airreservoir 'b into the interior of the car, serves to displace the whole or a portion of the contained water through the vwater outlet pipes g, extended downward from thetop at the opposite ends'of the car, Whose pivoted gate-valves g are normally lopen for the purpose. These outlet-pipes are provided each at the top with caps g, hinged thereto upon one side and operating as selfclosing valves which open only when the pressure underneath exceeds t hat of the su rrounding Water, but remain normally closed at other y times. The stems g3 of the valves g'are provided externally to the pipes g with dependingweighted arms g4, acting as pendulums in maintaining ,said valves in their normallyopen relation. While the valve-seats lie in a -plane transverse to the pipes, the valves are 6'; retained in oblique relation thereto, each el lng inclined downwardly and inwardly tow rd The air-outlet valve cl in the top,

lthe center ofthe car, so that in case one end of the car should rise above the level of the .other iu the manipulation of the structure the pendulum-actuated valve g' at such end would close automatically to prevent the escape of air through the pipe g and the siinilarly-actuated valve at the opposite end would open still wider for the expulsion of the contained water collected in such end.

It is obvious that other means governed by the trim of the car maybe' substituted for that specifically shown and described herein without departing from the present invention and; that such automatically-controlling devices.

may be applied equally well to the air or water inlet or outlet valves which regulate the quantity of water contained in the car, and the term water-valves as employed in the claims annexed hereto is,y thus tobe understood as applying to auylsuch valves governing either directly or'indirectly the admission or expulsion of water to and from the interior of the car.

In case the water should be expelled so rapidly as to-enable the car to suddenly rise to the surface, where the external water-pres- Vsure would be relieved without a corresponding reduction of the internal air-pressure, which might prove excessive for the strength of the tank a, an air-relief or safety valve h is provided, which may be set to blow off at a given excessive pressure, so as to insure the escape of the surplus air under such `condition. This relief-valve is obviously closed au tomatically upon the reduction of the abnormal internal air-pressure by means of the spring 7L'. v v

For convenience of divers when the car is Aresting upon the water-bed a ladder 1' is pro- .vided upon one side for access 'to parts re-V quiring to be operated from the top, and a series of gage-cocks j is provided near the ladder for determining thc height of the water within when the car is closed.

While it may be found preferable usually to tow the car to the vicinity' of the wreck while Heating upon the surface, there are cou- .ditions when it will be found desirable to operate the car wholly beneath the surface and while resting upon the water-bed, it being maintained so nearly bouyant as to rest very lightly upon its supporting-wheels while be ing towed to and from the vici nity of the wreck l and the place of unloading. The latter conditions may be found to prevail duringstormy weather, when it' would be impracticable to venture out into'rough water upon the surface, in which case all the operations of recovering the cargo could be readilyperformed while remaining beneath the surface.

Thus far the apparatus has been described in connection with its function as a submarine freight-car; vbut, as before indicated, it.

may be readily adapted for employment asa pontoon in raising sunken vessels themselves, as well as in recovering their cargoes. To ef,-

of such a mode of y from' the hull fect this adaptation, it is only nccessaryto:

provide sui table means for attachment toL the -side of the vessel.` Heretofore it-has been the practice to conneetthe pontoons or lloats to-AA gether on opposite sides of the sunken vessel by tlmnelingnnder the latterrfor the passage of the eonnectin'gychains, which-has been objectionable, because ol' thellabor and ex pense operation, as well asits extreme difficulty in many cases. I am enabled to avoid these objections by securing to the wrecked vessels cars andproviding the latter operating therewith. a device, comprising lugs lupon the under side of the car (t, near the edge, connected bypivotal pins Z with one end of the links nl., whose opposite ends are similarly connected by pivotal pins yn' with lugs .n upon the fastening-plates o, secured to the skin of the vessel V by means ofA the tap-bolts o'. Fig. 5 shows a series of such cars fastened sides of a submerged vessel, the number required for raising the same being determined by their size and the character of the vesselv to be raised. It will be observed that as the buoyancyof the cars is restored theyare drawn in rising close to the side of the vessel V, against which they are steadied in their'snbsequent operation. This mode of fastening wheeled pontoons or cars-directly to thc skin i of the vessel obviously affords the advantage of convenience in such operation, as the cars lnay be readily shifted to. place them in the required relation to the vessel, and they may be attached while standing a few feet away for easy access to al1 parts of the apparatus, being subsequently drawn up against the hull in rising, as already dec scribed. It will also be observed that the fasf tening-platemay be secured to the hull Vberaised it is plates n.

fore connection with the car. As indicated in Fig. .5, in order to maintain the'upright position of the vessel While being preferable@ to permit certain of the cars ato rise some distance above the same for stead ying the vessel during the lifting operationpforwhich purpose an extra link m' or an extra'length ofV chain m2 may be in terposed between thecarsand the fastening.- [t is obviousl Y immaterial what kind of connections be employed forsecuring together the plates fn. and thc cars u so longr as they are of ilexible character and that either links or chains are suitable for the purpose.. A In some' cases -,it may be found desirable to.

secure the bodies of the cars directly' to the sides ofthe vessel, for which purpose I have provided 'the perforated bosses p at the top and bottom of one ofthe sides with internal -countersinks p', through which fasteningbolts may be projected from theinterior, with their heads resting in the countcrsinks. To close such aportu hull fasteningfplates having means of attachment with the exterior of the;

with means co In Fig. 4 is shown such to the Avalve, Water-outlet 'from the bottom and having pcndulum-acventing. the inow of water rcs from the penetration of 'f airor water inv raising or sinking the cars, threaded plugs@2 are provided, which are secured into similarly-threaded sockets at the inner ends -of lthecountersunk apertures for thefastening-bolts. l

, The lmethod of handling submerged freight incidentally described in the foregoing specification is notclaim'ed herein, asit forms the subject of my application Serial No.'15,461, led May 4, 1000, and constituting a division of thepresent application;

Having thus Set forth the`nature of the inn vent-ion, what I claim'here'in is- .1. A submarine car comprising an air-tight tank, air and water valves ting and expelling air and Water to and from theV same, means external' thereto for actuat- -ing said valves, and a hatch or hatches adaptyed for admitting freight to the interior of the same.

2. A submarine car comprising an air-tight tank, air and water valves for use in admitting and expelling air and water to and from thesame, means external thereto for actuating said valves, a hatch or hatches adapt-ed for admitting f reight to the interior of the saine, and supporting caster-Wheels for sus` taining the same movably upon the waterbed when submerged.

3. A submarine ear comprising a closed tank or receptacle provided with valves for the admission and expulsion of water, and mechanical moans governed by the trinI of the car for automatically controlling said valves.

4. A submarine car comprising an air-tight ta'nk, air and water inlet valves, an air-escape valve, and water-ou tlet pipes at the ends leading from the bottom and having pendulumactuated valves reverse] y operated by changes inthe trim of the car, as andk ior the purpose set forth.

for use in admit- 5. Alsnbmarine car comprising an air-tight tank,'air and water inlet valves, an air-escape pipes at the ends leading' tuated valves reverselyoperated by changes in the trim of the car, and automatically-closing covers constituting check-valves for prethrough said inletpipes, as and for the purpose setforth.

6. A submarine ear comprising an air-tight tank with suitable ai'rand water val ves whereby to effect the admission and expulsion of water1 for affecting 'means for positively attaching it to the skin of a sunken vessel, and supporting casterwheels uponftlx-.bottom vet" the car. for sustaining itmovably upon the Waterhed during s'nbmergence.

7.x 'lhecombination, with a submarine car comprising a normallyQclosed tank or recep-` taclc-,ai rand watervalvesfortho same, means for actuating "said valves for the' admission and expulsion of water to and from the same, anda hatch or hatches for admitting freight its buoyancy, and withl to the interior thereof, of means for introtion of freight, and meansy for etecting the' x ducing freight into said tank or receptacle .ndmissionzmd expulsion of watertoand from throgh its hatch or hatches while the latter said tank'or receptacle. are open and during submergence. Signed at Baltimore, State of Maryland, this 8. The combination, with a submarine 9th 'day of March, A. D. 1898. wrecking-boat provided with means, as a der- SIMON LAKE. rick, for transferring freight from submerged Witnesses: wrecks, of a normally-closed tank or recep- WILLIAM II, BERRY, tnele provided with hatches for t-he introdnc- MURRAY I'IANSON. 

